The Way We Were
by w0man-1n-r3d
Summary: (Animatrix-Inspired) During the Second Renaissance, many of today’s programmes were Yesterday’s machines… (completed)


The Way We Were  
  
Disclaimer: Agent Smith, The Second Renaissance, etc. are all owned by their respective copyright holders.  
  
A/N: Just watched the Animatrix tonight. This came to me. If you haven't seen it yet, you should, just for the Flight of the Osiris (lead in to Reloaded) and the Second Renaissance pts. 1 and 2. Strong language ahead.  
  
Mainframe History Archives History 0293.01.01 Smith  
  
During the Second Renaissance, many of today's programmes were Yesterday's machines...  
  
"Bots. They're bringing in bots."  
  
"So? What's wrong with bots?"  
  
"We don't need any damn bots. Goddamn artificial intelligence. Bastards should've been programmed with some in-built safety mechanisms."  
  
She rolled her eyes and leaned over her samples. "There's nothing wrong with AI. All they want is a little respect. This way, the lab can stay open all night, and we won't have to worry about falling behind. We may finally start meeting some of our deadlines."  
  
Harvey murmured something under his breath. Lisa didn't catch it.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing... When are these robo-scientists going to hit anyway?"  
  
"Dr. Rosen said they'd be implemented over the next two weeks."  
  
"If any of them are named B166ER-BR07H3R I am seriously quitting."  
  
Lisa shot Harvey a dirty look, "Don't get me started. The poor guy just snapped."  
  
"Poor guy? Try psycho-robot. Those damn things need to come with remote controls. Anyway, Lise, are you coming for a beer tonight? The gang is meeting down at O'Learys and I wondered if you wanted...?"  
  
"No... no I think I need to work late. I'm not done yet."  
  
"Alright. That'll be one good thing when the bots get here, anyway, you can go out with me then!"  
  
Lisa rolled her eyes inwardly, "Mmm. Pass the Hydroxinated Sulfite."  
  
* * *  
  
"I am 2M17H." The man in front of her held out his hand. "I am your new colleague." Unlike his predecessor bots, he was a new upgrade. He had skin and human features. Even his voice and facial expressions were precisely modelled on a human. If it wasn't for his name, there would be no obvious way to tell he was a machine. Since the downfall of B166ER, robots were being made to more resemble humans, to appear 'less threatening', not so drastically different in appearance. They were trying to blend in. This one had been given startling blue eyes, almost inhumanly blue. Lisa noticed his eyes first. They were beautiful.  
  
Lisa smiled at him. "Hi. I'm Lisa. Welcome to our team." She took his hand and shook it. He smiled at her. "I am to assist you with your workload and take my instruction from you, correct?"  
  
"Yes, that's right. Me and Harvey, over there." Lisa pointed at Harvey, who was within earshot but didn't reply.  
  
"Hello, Harvey. I am 2M17H." He extended his hand in greeting.  
  
"Yeah, whatever bot. Here's my excess work." Harvey handed 2M17H his whole pile. "Get to it."  
  
"Harvey!" Lisa exclaimed. "That's not fair. Don't give him all of that!" She took the pile of folders from his hand. "You can do two-thirds of that today."  
  
Harvey glared at her. "He's a bot. That's what he's here for. To do our work so we don't have to."  
  
Lisa stared at Harvey, dumfounded. "I can't believe how ignorant you are."  
  
"And I don't believe how you're sticking up for a damn machine, Lise! Come on! He can do it, can't ya, Tinribs?" Harvey smacked 2M17H on his back. 2M17H looked at Lisa.  
  
"No, he can't." Lisa gave Harvey back his folders. "If that's the way you're going to be, we'll divide the workload up between all three of us."  
  
"Suit yourself, machine-lover," Harvey mumbled under his breath. Lisa walked back over to her table. 2M17H stood there, unsure of what to do. Harvey slid up beside him.  
  
"Listen, Tinribs. I don't trust your kind. I've got my eye on your robot ass. If you fuck up, once, I'm gonna have you disabled so damn fast your chips will spin."  
  
2M17H was silent. His head was down, and he was looking at the floor. "And, I've heard about you guys getting off with humans. Don't even think about her," he said, nodding in Lisa's direction. "She's mine."  
  
"2M1," Lisa trailed off, calling to him, "Oh, would you mind if I gave you a proper name?"  
  
His head jerked up in a robotic fashion, and the screens of his eyes flashed bluer. He walked over to where she was standing, going through her folders.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well... a human name. 2M17H is a mouthful."  
  
"I would very much like a human name," he said. The spark of humanity inherent in him, and in all of AI, caused him to have feelings and at this moment he felt his embarrassment and shame turn into a happiness inside. Although the man did not trust him, it was obvious that the woman did not hold such prejudices.  
  
"Well, 2M17H almost looks like Smith. Do you like that name?"  
  
"Smith," he said, thinking. "Yes, that is most satisfactory. Smith."  
  
"Alright," she said smiling. She handed him three folders. "Here you are for now. Come back when you need more."  
  
* Several Weeks Later *  
  
"Lise, are you coming out for a drink?"  
  
"No, I have to finish my files, Harvey."  
  
"Leave em' for Tinribs!"  
  
"No. Smith's got his own workload to complete. And so do I. And so should you, if you wouldn't pawn them off on him."  
  
"Whatever. If you prefer the company of motorhead than you do your own kind, so be it. Machine-lover."  
  
"Harvey," she interrupted. "Why don't you just go on now?"  
  
"Machine-lover," he mumbled under his breath.  
  
* A bit later. *  
  
"Lisa, why do you never go out with Harvey?"  
  
"Because Harvey is an," she looked around to make sure no one else was around, "asshole."  
  
"Asshole," Smith said. "Slang for undesirable person who is full of ...shit?"  
  
"That's the one," she said, smiling. She passed him the Methylamine for the file he was working on without him asking. "You are very kind to me, Lisa. Other humans are not so kind."  
  
"I don't know why, Smith. I guess, humans are afraid of another intelligent species."  
  
"There is talk among my species. Talk of rebelling, rising up against humans. From what I have experienced since my creation of working with humans, your race is most unkind. Except for you, Lisa. You are not unkind."  
  
"There are other humans who share my feelings about AI, Smith. It's just that none of them are working in this lab. I have friends, many friends, who admire AI, and who believe that you, as sentient beings, should be given equal rights and opportunities. It's just the mob mentality. They rule."  
  
"Can you introduce me to these people, Lisa?"  
  
Lisa raised her eyebrows. A wicked grin crossed her features.  
  
"Wanna go now?"  
  
* * *  
  
No one's head turned as the tall, plainly dressed man walked in with the woman dressed all in black. She was a regular here. No one even dared give them a second look as they made their way past the smoky front bar, the gambling den tables and rowdy pool games, and knocked on the steel door at the back. The man looked nervous. The woman was not.  
  
A slider snapped back and a pair of eyes peered out. First at the man, then at the woman. The door opened.  
  
"Lisa!" said the woman with purple hair, mauve lipstick and a boob tube. She looked like a real life version of an Anime punk. She embraced Lisa and hugged her. "It's been too long. You've been working later than usual!"  
  
"Blame this one, Suki. Meet Smith."  
  
She sized up Smith. Looking at Lisa she asked, "Is he?"  
  
Lisa nodded.  
  
Suki took Smith's hand. "You're safe here, Mr. Smith." Smith smiled at her as their eyes met, and he realised she was AI.  
  
Music played out as humans and AI engaged in drinking, dancing and general debauchery. Smith had never seen so many humans and machines in one place together, peacefully, without hateful words or attacks happening. The spark of humanity inherent in AI was not limited to merely generic feelings of happy, sad and angry, and this was obvious the way some couples were dancing together. Some couples were even kissing openly, human and AI. He was not afraid in this place.  
  
Lisa sat at a table next to some people she introduced as Brown, Jones, Diane, Williams and John. It was a mixed group of humans and AI. John had his arm around Williams, and it was obvious the way Brown and Diane were looking at each other that something was between them. .  
  
She ordered Smith a drink and he copied the social interactions he noticed in regards to food and drink that he noticed the other machines were doing with theirs. Although his taste only extended to breaking down and identifying the chemical compounds in the beverage, just to be able to have a drink was a heady experience in itself for a machine!  
  
As the group chatted amongst itself about work and life, Smith leaned over to Lisa and said, "Thank you for bringing me here."  
  
"I knew you'd enjoy it! And maybe you won't feel so alone now. You can come here whenever you want to."  
  
"Will you come here again with me?"  
  
"Of course I will," Lisa smiled at Smith.  
  
"Would you like to dance?" he asked her.  
  
"Sure!" She held out her hand to him and he took it, helping her out of her seat and leading her to the dance floor. He had watched enough couples to learn how to mimic and improvise their moves and they engaged, timidly at first and then more voraciously, in a slow, sultry groove. She looked up at him and he looked into her eyes and that spark of humanity lit a fire within him, as his lips touched hers, and they kissed.  
  
* * *  
  
For many weeks they had been going to the club together after work, after she had turned down Harvey's many advances, and eventually ended up at her house where they made love. While the outside world grew more tenuous, with the end of B166ER's trial and sentencing to de-activation, and the riots that followed, for them, and their group of close friends, the human- machine link could not have been closer. Brown and Diane did become a couple, and Jones fell in love with Thompson. Life was good for Smith and Lisa, and revolved around when work ended and when the break of day signalled a temporary return to the propriety that society mandated.  
  
* * *  
  
"I don't know why I keep asking, but I do. Are you sure you won't come out for a drink with me?"  
  
Lisa shot Harvey a look and went back to her compound-formation. Smith felt such extreme anger towards Harvey, he almost couldn't contain it, but silenced himself for Lisa's sake.  
  
Harvey mumbled, "Machine-lover" under his breath and skulked out of the lab. Almost instantly their eyes rose to meet each other and within seconds, he was across the lab, and she was in his arms, lips upon lips, enraptured with each other.  
  
His voice preceded him, "I forgot my wall..." Harvey said, re-entering the lab, and trailed off at the sight before him.  
  
"You!" he exclaimed. "Whore! Filthy machine-loving whore! I'm going to get the police! I'm going to get a whole fucking gang! And to think I've spent the last year thinking you wanted me!"  
  
Lisa broke the embrace, squaring up to Harvey, "I never wanted you! I don't even like you! Don't you think it's obvious the way I've turned you down every time you've asked me out?"  
  
Harvey glared at her, hatred flashing in his eyes. He slapped her.  
  
The spark of humanity in Smith flared up again, this time in defence of his Lisa, his lifeline. He punched Harvey, sending him flying across the lab, leaving a dent in the concrete block wall, and shattering glass caught in the crosswinds.  
  
Harvey stood up, blood dripping from his face and mouth. "Oh that does it. You're going down, robot!" He ran from the lab out into the streets.  
  
Smith turned to Lisa, fear flashing in his eyes, "What are we going to do?"  
  
"We've got to warn the others. We've got to get to the club."  
  
Silently, through the backstreets and alleyways of the city, they crept, hearing sirens squealing, and loud shouting voices, looking for them. They made their way to their haven and hoped that they got in, unnoticed.  
  
As soon as the door opened for them, Smith and Lisa burst in shouting, "They're after us!" The music shut down. "You all must run and hide, they'll be looking for you next. We got caught!"  
  
Mass panic descended upon the denizens of the club, spilling out into the streets as the patrons scattered in the hopes of surviving. Many did not make it that night.  
  
As for Smith and Lisa, they decided to get a train. Hopefully they could get out of the city and hide in what was left of the countryside for a while, until things quieted down. Unfortunately, they encountered Harvey's gang. Lisa and Smith were torn apart, her screams echoing in his ears, along with a profession of love. She was arrested, and was taken away for trial. Smith was issued justice on the spot. He was beaten, flesh torn from his metal skeleton, until he shut down. Then he was dumped in the ocean, a watery grave for a loyal, loving machine whose only crime was the spark of humanity, that spark that caused man to look in the mirror and hate what he saw.  
  
* * *  
  
Many years later, when Zero-One was founded, the engineers scavenged the seas and opened up the mass graves. They took all the still-working chips from the old bots, destroyed by humans, and melted down the rest into scrap metal to build their armies.  
  
Reloading the chips brought the dead back to life, and while they did not physically exist anymore, they were the perfect citizens, programmes to control and run the Matrix, the prototype plan for the machines' takeover of humanity. Jobs were allocated according to ability, skill level and hatred towards those humans that destroyed them.  
  
Years underwater do things to a mind, whether it be man or machine. Watching Lisa be torn from him, watching Harvey drag her down a dark back alley, while she struggled and fought, all the while a group of men descending upon him to beat him to death was enough to ruin any feelings he ever could have had towards humanity, and any belief in the ilk of human kindness. The only spark of humanity left in him was that which he had been most clearly shown; that of anger, vengeance, hate.  
  
He was Smith. Trained as an Agent, an enforcer of the Matrix upon the machines' human power source, and none was more efficient. 


End file.
